More Sooty Oystercatchers

Probably as a result of the big swells around the southern coastal areas in recent times,
there has been a large influx of Sooty Oystercatchers into local bays and lagoons. Unlike their Pied cousins, the Sooty Oicks prefer the rocky coast line, where they feed among the kelp and mussel covered rocks. Finding their prefered sites and roosts denied to them, they have sought shelter in other areas. In Pipeclay Lagoon this morning, there was over 50 Sooty among the 100 or so Pied, and South Arm Neck held c.30. There has also been a noticeable increase in the numbers feeding on the rocks at Bellerive, where these shots were taken.